Three members of New York’s congressional delegation are pressing the Biden administration for answers following the closure of several regional Head Start offices, including the one serving New York State.
U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, joined by Congressmembers Mike Lawler (R-NY) and Laura Gillen (D-NY), sent a letter Thursday to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. demanding transparency and a plan to protect services for low-income families impacted by the shutdowns.
“We strongly urge you to reverse this decision,” the lawmakers wrote, “and commit to ensuring that any agency restructuring decisions do not result in service disruption or delays for children and families.”
The Office of Head Start (OHS) regional offices provide essential support to local Head Start and Early Head Start programs—federally funded initiatives that serve over 50,000 children in New York alone. These offices, located in cities including New York, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and Seattle, are reported to have issued reduction-in-force notices to staff.
The closures, the letter warned, could lead to “significant delays in program support, undermine service quality, and jeopardize the overall effectiveness” of OHS. Lawmakers stressed the need for clarity on how the administration plans to continue services without the regional infrastructure.
The letter requests specific information by April 23, including:
- A timeline for a comprehensive plan to replace or supplement services from closed regional offices
- Details on interim or temporary services currently in place
- Assurances that upcoming grant renewals, some due as early as May 1, will not be disrupted
- Documentation of communication with regional staff and grantees
Gillibrand, a longtime advocate for Head Start, noted that in 2023 alone, she secured over $100 million in federal funding for Head Start programs in New York. She and her colleagues emphasized that the success of the program hinges on its ability to deliver high-quality services through local support and oversight.
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